This latest model of the premium Fenix adventure watch introduces a life-saving feature: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile technology, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's top model and designed to be the single tool required to explore virtually any location and monitor every activity.
This makes it an extremely pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your investment, with best-in-class workout, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its complete offline maps of the globe can automatically direct you return to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and look great on the large, crisp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, SOS messaging is not included for free.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes limitless LTE SMS and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, biking or similar pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts via satellite are then billed on top, with higher-tier subscriptions including different quotas of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you simply venture outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth using typed or voice messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable canned responses you can use to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls work OK, although as with most wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to on its own send a URL to chosen contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race performance, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally worked effectively, although the actual position has occasionally been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A guide displays you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is essential to note that satellite service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with services available through the customer service portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin offers disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
The result is an increasingly remarkable adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring additional gear.
It is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to provide the features. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite features require ongoing payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice capabilities are sluggish, basic smartwatch functionality compared with competing watches.
